A Living Hope

Can you remember a time at school when you were reprimanded for using too many commas and full stops in your work? You then start writing great big long sentances with no commas no breaks you just waffle on and on without any break and the sentance just grows and grows. You feel you're doing a great job that your english is improving! Then later the teacher appears to change her mind. Use them less frequently! You're told not breaking up your work properly! Create sensible sentances!

Life seems to be full of comments which later appear to be contradicted.

As I return to 1 Peter this morning, I come across some amazing comments, all bunched together into one long sentance! I want to break it down into chunks to meditate on but I struggle to find the end of the sentance! Yet when I reach the end of the sentance and glance at the next one... I appear to find a contraction from Peter!

(3) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, (5) who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

(6) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

Verses 3 -5 speak of a living hope and God's shield of power keeping us safe until Christ's return, yet verse 6 speaks of the grief of many trials we will face!

If we are protected by God's power, why are we facing trials?

We visited relatives on Saturday. As young people they went to church and had a faith in God which held them fast. Sadly, Shirley's brother died. He was struck down by lightening! Along with her brother, Shirley's faith died. How could a God of love allow such a thing to happen? Especially when we are told that lightening (for insurance purposes) is an act of God!

It's often so hard to understand why God allows all the cruel things of this world to take place. I don't profess to know the answers. I try to live through my faith and accept that for me, my hope is in the future. Whatever I face here on earth will not change my future when Christ comes again. I have a living hope that sustains me. I can say these things, I haven't suffered the way so many have suffered. I really don't know how my faith would stand up if I lived in south USA at present or in the many countries where christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith.

In my faith, I will hold on to my living hope, that through the resurrection of Christ, my Lord, I will come into an inheritance that will never spoil or fade! My hope is not for an easy life on earth, but for an eternity to be spent worshipping God!

I cannot imagine how fantastic that will be. All I have is the knowledge that when I worship God, when I come before him in reverance and awe, there is no greater feeling, no greater time in my life. I am glad that I have Christ Jesus, who has sanctified my life, in order than I am able to enter God's presence for eternity to worship him.